Unbidden
by Alina-Cantha
Summary: A little request from one of my friends, xTwisTx. Shojo-ai, so if you don't like, don't read. InoHina. One-shot. When Hinata decides to shop at the Yamanaka Flower Shop, what could possibly happen?


**Unbidden**

_A gifty-sort-of-thing for xTwisTx over on DA. She hit my kiriban (although I'm not sure of which number it was anymore...), and requested an InoHina fic. For a first shojo-ai fic, I'm rather surprised at myself. Enjoy!_

**DISCLAIMER: Hinata, and all the other Naruto characters, as well as the whole Naruto-verse belong to Masashi Kishimoto...not me.**

Ino slumped forward on the counter. Nobody came into her family's flower shop in the mornings, so why did she have to be here? Her dad was off doing who knows what, and she was stuck here, selling flowers to non-existent people. Glumly, she rested her chin in her hands, gazing out at the flowers scattered around the store. Bright pink ones were on the left side, sliding to a few red blooms in the middle. The spectrum continued across the store to end in purple on the opposite edge. She sighed. There were so many things she could be doing besides this. Her hand fumbled underneath the counter, and she pulled out one of her old favorites, a magazine entitled, 'Teen Scene'. Flipping it open at random, Ino began listlessly turning its pages, blue eyes dully surveying the articles and photos. Her blonde hair, let loose out of it's ponytail for the day, dangled down in front of her, obscuring her vision. With a frown, she shoved it behind her and returned to her reading. Resigning herself to a long, boring morning, she sat and waited for someone, anyone, to visit her.

A few hours later, Ino almost fell off of her chair when the bell on the door jangled lightly as someone entered. She shook herself awake, adjusted her hair and her yellow apron, and then stepped out from behind the counter. "Good morning, and welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. How can I help you?" she recited dutifully. When she was met with silence, she peeked into the entryway in puzzlement. That quiet girl...Hinata?...stood there, studying a gigantic philodendron, touching a gentle finger to its dark green leaves. When Ino appeared around the corner, Hinata jumped backwards, hand still grasping one of the leaves. As she tried not to hurt the plant, her other hand caught the rim of the large terra-cotta pot, tipping the huge plant over the edge and into the air.

The pot shattered with what, to Hinata, sounded like an explosion. Her face bleached of all color, making the young genin even paler than usual. "I-I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I get surprised so easily." Kneeling, she nervously began to pick up pieces of the pot.

"That's fine," Ino replied, returning to the counter to retrieve a broom and dustpan. "Stop that before you cut yourself," she snapped, beginning to collect the scattered dirt and shards of the pot. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. It happens all the time around here anyways." Kneeling, she swept the collected soil into the dustpan. "Although usually not with a plant as big as this." Carefully, she began to separate the roots from the loose dirt, being cautious not to injure the plant.

"We'll have to repot it," she told Hinata matter-of-factly. "And 'cause I'll need two people because it's so big, you're going to have to help me."

"Sure," the other girl replied quietly. Gathering the plant awkwardly into her arms, she accidentally showered herself and the floor with dirt.

"Just carry it into the back room," Ino instructed, untroubled by the new scattering of dirt. Silently, Hinata did so, as Ino finished cleaning up the mess. Hinata put the huge philodendron down on a slotted wooden table. Shortly after, the blonde joined her, wiping her hands clean on her apron. The tie in the back tucked the bright material in close to her body, accenting her slender figure. Hinata caught her jealousy of the other girl, and quickly squashed it. What was it to her if Ino was perfect? Perfect body, blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, sparkling smile, and to top it off, almost everybody said she was the best kunoichi of this year's group. She was someone to be revered. A goddess.

The small dark girl shook herself, surprised at the direction her thoughts were going. She'd always looked up to Ino, even in the Academy. Ino had always been brighter, bigger, better than she was, and Hinata had wanted to be like her. The two had been like opposites. Ino was tall, outgoing, a skilled ninja. Hinata had been quiet and dark, and although she'd tried, she'd been a step behind Ino all along. She shouldn't even _think _about Ino, not even as a friend.

Ino glanced over at Hinata, and then walked across the room, picking up another large terra-cotta pot. "We'll put it in here, huh?" she asked, setting the pot down on the table with a thunk. Ino put a few handfuls of fresh dirt in the bottom, and then gestured at Hinata. Self-consciously, Hinata lifted the plant, and Ino scooted the pot over underneath.

When Hinata dropped the philodendron into its new place, Ino was ready with new soil to push over the exposed roots. Hinata helped her, sprinkling dirt around it. Inadvertently, their hands touched. Hinata's heart leapt and it kicked into high speed, pounding so hard she was surprised she didn't die.

Ino was surprised at the warmth of Hinata's hand. She had always seen Hinata as distant and cold, and the heat of her touch both interested and attracted her. Her fingers shifted, grasping Hinata's hand within her own. After a quick squeeze, she let go of the other girl's hand, going back to repotting the plant as if nothing had happened.

Hinata herself was a little shocked at Ino's response. A simple touch had inspired that small gesture. She found her face flushing, and her cheeks growing warm. Quickly, she turned away so that Ino didn't see.

Ino innocently finished her work on the plant and then stood back, hands on hips, gazing at her handiwork. "Looks good," she said aloud. "Wanna help me carry it back out?" Hinata nodded, and moved to one side of the heavy plant. Together, the pair picked it up and shuffled their way back out to the entryway, setting the philodendron carefully back in its rightful spot.

"There," Ino spouted, quite satisfied. "It's like nothing ever happened."

"Yeah," Hinata answered quietly.

"So, what'd you come in here for in the first place?" Ino asked, returning to the stool behind the counter. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the cool tile and watching Hinata with her dark blue eyes. "I haven't ever seen you here before."

"I was...just wondering if you had anything...medicinal," Hinata replied slowly, turning slowly to take in all the flowers in the store. She had been too busy and embarrassed to notice all of them earlier. "It's sort of a hobby of mine."

"You came to the right place for the fresh kind," Ino said, pulling a thick book out from underneath the sales counter. "We don't have much dried, they sell that down in the stalls, but if you want fresh flowers or leaves, this is where you're going to find it." She thumped the tome down on the counter between them. "This encyclopedia has almost everything you'd ever want to know about that stuff. I should know, my dad made me study it all the time when I was little." She winked one big blue eye at Hinata, who blushed and turned away once more.

"I've heard oleander is useful," she said offhand, changing the subject.

"Yeah, for poisons and the like," Ino answered, coming around the counter once more to join Hinata among the flowers. "I'm pretty sure every single part of it is toxic in some way, so be careful."

"Ah," Hinata replied with a nod. She crossed the room to the book, flipping the heavy cover open and skimming the contents. Ino rounded the counter to read upside down, and help Hinata find what she was looking for. They spent a few minutes reviewing the book, Ino trying to get a feel for what Hinata was interested in. Hinata was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the knowledge that the book contained, and again, was in awe of Ino. The girl had studied this thing since she was little. Her knowledge of flowers and plants must be complete, far beyond any of Hinata's feeble efforts.

Ino wasn't as interested in the encyclopedia as the other girl was. Ino spent most of the time looking at Hinata, trying to figure out what it was about her that made her keep looking. The girl across from her had pale skin, a plain, rather unflattering haircut, and looked sad and forlorn most of the time. She'd been a little shortchanged so far in the 'endowments' category, and had an aura about her that spoke of deeper, darker things than people usually spoke of. But Ino kept looking, returning her gaze again and again to the dark-haired genin.

Finally, she decided. It was the eyes. The pure, creamy-white of the Byakugan gave Hinata an ethereal feel, a fragile quality that Ino enjoyed. The unreadability of the Hyuuga's stare didn't bother her, as the beauty of the girl's eyes was enough. As a sort of experiment, Ino reached to turn a page of the book, just as Hinata did.

Their hands touched briefly, before Hinata jerked her hand back. Slowly, cautiously, she brought it back to intertwine with Ino's, fingers laced together. Their eyes met, white against blue, and Hinata smiled. To Ino, who had never seen the girl smile before, it was completely and utterly stunning. Maybe there was something more here than a quiet, dark, unassuming girl.

On a sudden whim, Ino leaned forward, touching her lips to Hinata's. It was a gentle, chaste kiss, barely there, and left Hinata with an odd feeling of warmth. The blonde girl began to let go of Hinata's hand, but the other held it tighter, lightly pulling Ino back towards her. This time, Hinata started it, leaning into Ino as their lips met. The kiss originally meant to be a reply to Ino's deepened. Both were surprised at the events occurring. Was this meant to be, or just a fluke? Ino barely knew Hinata, but this felt predestined, certain. Hinata's shyness vanished, and Ino was struck with a flurry of thoughts. She had always imagined herself with Sasuke, ever since she was little. But this...maybe this was a little better than always chasing after a boy she knew she would probably never catch.

Hinata was surprised by her own forwardness, and was pleased when Ino responded happily back. Her lips glided over Ino's, and she let go of the other girl's hand to touch her body, cradling her back. As Hinata did that, Ino slid her tongue into the Hyuuga's mouth, gently probing before withdrawing again.

The bell on the shop door jangled loudly, and the pair leaped apart, both hurrying to straighten their rather disheveled appearance. Ino adjusted her hair, and sat primly behind the counter. Ino's father came in, arms full of groceries. "Thought I'd stop in and say hello," he said a little sheepishly, looking at his daughter a little suspiciously.

It was the nature of fathers to be suspicious. "Everything's fine. I'm just helping this customer pick out what flowers they want."

"Okay then. I'm going home. Your mom is going to kill me if I don't get home with her eggs," he answered. Holding the door open with one foot, he clumsily made his way out the door and towards home.

"So," Ino began, unsure of what to say.

"I have to get going," Hinata stumbled, tapping her fingers nervously together. "Kurenai expects us for training later."

"Yeah, Asuma too. He's been big on that ever since those dumb exams," Ino complained.

Hinata laughed a little. "At least we're getting better."

"Yeah, yeah. But every time we get together, I always get this almost irresistible urge to kick Shikamaru's ass, the whiner."

Hinata laughed at Ino's expression. Turning, she selected an oleander plant. "Well, I'd like one of these," she said, changing the subject awkwardly.

"I thought you would," Ino answered. "Take one of these too." Ino walked to the section of flowers that were white and silver and selected a lily. She snapped off most of the stem, and tucked the flower behind Hinata's ear, adjusting it so it would stay. "It looks pretty cute."

"T-thank you," Hinata stammered, feeling all-of-a-suddenly nervous. "How much do I owe you?"

"It's free," Ino replied with another wink. "My dad will never know they're gone."

"Are you sure?" Hinata didn't want Ino to get into trouble on her behalf, and she always felt just a little guilty when she didn't pay for things.

"Yeah," Ino said firmly. "Take them." Crossing the store to Hinata, she kissed her once more, another delicate, and still chaste, kiss. "See you later."

"Thank you," Hinata stuttered. "G-goodbye." Feeling a little lightheaded, she stumbled out the door, purchase clutched tightly in her arms. Ino watched her go, a little confused about what had just occurred. Sometimes things worked in mysterious ways, and the way things were going, this was apparently one of them. She stepped in back quickly to adjust her appearance, straighten her hair and apron, and fix her makeup. Refreshed, but still feeling a little different, she sat back down at the register. The book and the magazine still lay on the counter, open. She put the encyclopedia away, and began to read the magazine again, but it didn't hold her interest. One thing was for certain; her morning was no longer boring. Hinata's visit had livened things up, and now that she was gone, Ino's thoughts would more than keep her busy.

_Finished at 1:30 in the morning. BUT IT'S FINISHED! Finally done. So, whaddaya ya'll think? xTwisTx, happy kiriban, I hope you liked._


End file.
